


Star Wars: Clone Wars: Housekeeping

by Electricboa



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, Minor Character Death, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-09
Updated: 2013-02-05
Packaged: 2017-11-15 23:45:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/533113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Electricboa/pseuds/Electricboa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you want something done right, do it yourself. Darth Sidious let Mother Talzin live once, but that was clearly a mistake. Now it is time to correct that error. Maul may have fallen short of his dreams of ruling from the shadows, but Sidious has . . . other uses for him. Chapters take place before and after 'The Lawless' episode of the Clone Wars TV series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rapture

 

****

 

**Nightsister Village, Dathomir; 20 BBY**

 

The Eta-class shuttle exited hyperspace in a flicker, barely pausing before continuing on to the planet below. Non-descript in its monotone grey, no one would have guessed that one of the most recognizable faces in the galaxy resided within, much less to think that he could even pilot such a craft. The face may have been public knowledge, but the mind inside was far from. Seething in frustration, Darth Sidious had an error to correct. He had let her live before, on a whim that she may be useful during the war, but no amount of prospective worth could counter the chaos she has introduced. In this war, there was no room for sovereign hands, only one omnipotent master. Thus, she had to die. Dooku, Grievous, and their incompetent droids had done little more than prune the Nightsister tree. To end the threat, the root must expire, too. That was why he was here, completing the task his aging apprentice was incapable of doing: housekeeping.

 

Landing on the outskirts of the former Nightsister village, Sidious descended the ramp into a battlefield. The corpses of the recently slaughtered and ancient mummies scattered around the ship, some crushed underneath it. The Sith ignored it all. She had taken up the reigns after Zalem was murdered, something few non-Dathomiri were privy to, but Sidious made it his business to know everything that was worth knowing. When Dooku came into his service, he relegated these menial tasks, simple and straightforward enough, to him. Simple and straightforward, but apparently completely beyond his capabilities. The witch had played his apprentice like a Dejarik master, stringing him along and interjecting unwanted variables into _his_ masterpiece. He knew where she would be. These witches were little better than animals, wounded animals, never straying from their dens for fear of predators. And what do you do with a wounded animal? You put it down.

 

Red-orange spheres lit the room sparingly, but Sidious had no trouble seeing the Nightsister seated at the head of the carved table gazing into her crystal ball, _how cliché_. Still, there was no need this couldn't be pleasurable, in addition to practical. Continuing to hide his presence, Sidious gently place his bony hands on her shoulders and hissed into her ear, "It has been a long time, _Sister_."

 

* * *

 

 

Mother Talzin could feel the wane of her time coming to pass, she could feel it in her bones. Legends had said the Nightsisters of old, those strongest in the magical arts would be able to foresee the moment of their death. It was an ability that had fascinated the former-Shaman, but one she had ironically never imagined herself having. Talzin couldn't imagine anyone coming after he at this point, she had no allies, no friends, she was alone, her coven was gone, and her only remaining connections to the galaxy at large were two Nightbrothers and the final inductee into the Nightsister clan, Ventress. But as she felt the weight on her shoulders, something that she should have sensed long before now, she felt her stomach hollow, as if her body was drawing in on itself.

 

The voice was familiar, but not to the extent where she would remember a name, males did not merit the effort of her memory. Not turning to face the speaker, she simply said, "You've come a long way to see me, stranger."

 

The pressure vanished, like a mist being cut through with sunlight, and he stepped from behind her and took a seat at the opposite end of the table. His cloak was slick, a slippery blue-grey that shimmered in the soft lighting. A velvet-like caplet, a pure obsidian with no lint to mar the expanse, an amazing feat in the marsh, graced his shoulders. Aurulent eyes swirled in the face, which seemed more a mask of flesh and bone rather than the being's true visage, hidden from the world behind a facade of normalcy. None of that was why Talzin suddenly knew who her visitor was, it was what she could now feel. The warmth of the marsh air was replaced with a chill, the arctic embrace of empty space permeated the room. It was a feeling she had only felt once before in her life. It had been at the Orsis Academy when she had attempted to reclaim an errant Nightbrother.

 

"You have been quite busy in the time since our last meeting," said the Sith, the corners of his mouth twitched into an empty smile as he glanced around the ruins of her coven.

 

"I knew you would come," Talzin sighed, "but what had been done cannot be undone."

 

"In your opinion," he sneered, the hood shifting to cast the face in shadow, only the gleaming golden eyes shone in the blackness, like beads of precious metal in a sea of oil, "but that will no longer be any concern of yours, Sister. The eclipse of the Nightsisters has come, and I am here to extinguish the last flame."

 

Talzin reacted before the Sith moved, her fingers splayed, currents of emerald electricity shot from her withered hands. As the arrowed tips were about to skew her executioner, his own clawed hand curled into a loose fist, the green lightning grounded itself there. Rising to full height, the Sith's second hand made a similar gesture and Talzin could feel her throat clamp shut. Her own attack abandoned, she focused all her effort to freeing herself. The empty smile on the Sith's face remained as he watched her struggle.

 

* * *

 

 

Sidious was disgusted, _this is what has been the cause of all my problems, this impotent mage?_ He watched Talzin thrash about in his Force grip, vainly trying to breathe the delicious oxygen that her own constricted windpipe prevented from reaching her. He wondered if she appreciated the irony, somehow he doubted it. Releasing her throat, Sidious lifted her bodily and drew her in. Hanging like an ornament, the Nightsister drew ragged breaths.

 

"Now that we have established the consequences of displeasing me, I have some questions," he said, "how did you bring back Maul?"

 

Talzin, having recovered enough from her depravation, shrouded herself in a bubble of translucent chartreuse energy. An acidic haze descended on the room, dissolving the furniture, peeling back the rock-covered walls. Sidious snarled at the defiance and raised his own crackling shield, electric arcs dissipating the corrosive vapor. Once the smog had been ionized away, he channeled the energy into an acute blast, a single violet bolt of lightning that shattered Talzin's globe.

 

The Nightsister Mother decided to flee. Her body glowed a faint green as she started to fade into the side of the cavern. Reaching out, Sidious forcibly slammed her to the ground, her bodying resuming its tangible form. Wrenching her up from the chest, he purposely cracked two ribs with the iron-clad grasp.

 

"There is no escape, woman, you will answer my questions or suffer increasingly painful repercussions," Sidious hissed, "now, how did you bring back Maul?"

 

After half a dozen more attempts to free herself and escape, all met with excruciating failure, she did. She poured out her story, how she had obtained Maul's blood at Orsis, Maul's barbaric brother, the retrieval of Maul's wrecked body from Lotho Minor, the resurrection, everything. Talzin ceased to comprehend anything but the pain, all-consuming, but never enough to take her into the sweet escape of unconsciousness. Sidious would never go beyond her physical tolerances, stopping just short and letting her come down from the edge. After several hours, he had his answers and there was one final task on this pathetic excuse for a planet.

 

"And now, my lady, I'm afraid our time together, however engaging, has come to an end," Sidious switched to Palpatine's genial voice. He stooped to examine his handiwork. Her clothing was shredded, smoking in several places, and discolored from the electricity. Her arm bent unnaturally from her shattered radius and ulna and all but four fingers were twisted back past the breaking point. Her eyes were bloodshot, the face paint, so lovingly applied that morning, was smeared and striated with syrupy blood. Those were all visible injuries, however, Sidious hadn't neglected the inside. Major muscle groups had been ripped apart internally leaving her limbs useless. Her gastrointestinal system had been punctured by telekinetic needles and leaked acidic bile on to other vital organs. Even if her fate hadn't already been decided, she would be relegated to a life of agony, each day of living a torment. All in all, Sidious was pleased.

 

Rising up, and lifting the ruined Nightsister with him, Sidious noticed her useless legs twitch as the nerves tried to move them. It faintly reminded him of a marionette, _how fitting_. "Any last words, my dear?" Sidious asked, voice still amiable despite what he had just done. Talzin made a repulsive gurgling sound, but couldn't gather enough strength to curse the Sith Lord. "In that case, listen," Sidious resumed his original snide tone, "You overstepped your bounds, witch, when you interfered with my affairs. I spared your wretched life once, but there is no room in this galaxy for those who do not serve me. Night has fallen on Dathomir and there is no longer any place for you in it."

 

Sidious brought the limp witch closer, and leaned in to the same ear he had spoken to before. "I am the future," he whispered, the pause punctuated by the wet snap of her neck, "and you are nothing at all."

 

As if the strings holding it up had been cut, the Nightsister corpse dropped in an awkward heap at Sidious' feet. Disgusting and wasteful creature, making him take valuable time out of his schedule to correct her mess. Telekinetically dragging the ignited sconces behind him, Sidious strode out of the remains of the village, setting it aflame as he went. Once he reached his shuttle, he tossed the balls of fire into the surrounding forest and left it to blaze. In a few hours' time, this entire location would be charred ash and ivory skeletons, with only a handful of beings left to know the full story of the massacre that occurred here. Glancing out the cockpit viewport, Sidious smiled at the inferno, _everything burns_.

 

* * *

 

**Sundari Royal Palace, Mandalore; 20 BBY**

 

Across the Galaxy, in the palace throne room, Darth Maul doubled over in throbbing agony. He felt as if his skin had caught fire, prickling and singeing his nerves raw. His world was burning.

 

Savage Oppress lumbered over to his sibling, "What is wrong, brother?"

 

"The witch is dead," Maul wheezed.

 

"Ventress?" Savage asked, confused.

 

"No, you fool," Maul spat, "the one who brought my mind back"

 

Savage paled, as much as a tattooed Zabrak could, "Mother Talzin is dead?" He felt his world shrink. She was one of two people he could depend on in this galaxy, the other double over in pain before him.

 

"Yes," Maul said the prickling feeling lessening as he drew on the Dark Side to suppress it.

 

"How?"

 

"I don't know, but I feel something searching for us . . . "

 

* * *

 

 

**Dathomir Orbit; 20 BBY**

 

The Eta-class shuttle reached the upper atmosphere when the transmission came in. Sidious scowled at the identification number, _how inconvenient_. He accepted the call, audio only, after all it wouldn't do to be seen in a blood spattered cloak by the caller.

 

"Anakin! What a lovely surprise, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Palpatine asked.

 

"My task force happens to be close by the Dathomir system, Chancellor, and I thought we could offer you an escort to Mandalore once you finish there," Anakin said, "You know I still feel uncomfortable with you traveling alone in these troubled times. It's not safe."

 

"Ah, my boy, you needn't fear for me," Palpatine smiled his grandfather grin out of pure habit, "As it so happens Dathomir has elected to remain neutral, despite the Separatist attack. We're actually about to move on to Mandalore now, so continue on with your duties. After all, how can you help win the war while your protecting me?" _Or interfering with my objectives_ , he added silently.

 

"As you wish, your Excellency," Anakin acceded reluctantly, "I just hope the security you brought with you will be sufficient."

 

"I'm sure they will," Palpatine soothed, giving a fleeting look back to the pilot and half a dozen Senate Guards he had executed before arriving to Dathomir, "I'll be safe in their hands. Now don't worry about me, I'll be back on Coruscant before you know it."

 

The transmission ended and Sidious felt his face droop. Palpatine was sometimes so sickeningly charming it was saccharine. He reclined in the pilot's chair, Dathomir was no longer an issue, but he had decided that once he ascended to power he would intern the planet to be safe. As fragile as the witches were, they could be superfluous cogs in his galactic machine. That would suffice, at least until he got around to sterilizing the planet for a more permanent solution. Now he was headed to Mandalore to deal with his erstwhile apprentice. A failure in every sense of the word. Defeated by a mere apprentice and now prying into Sidious' plans. Soon, however, he would cease to be an issue. Like the witch, Talzin, he would be dealt with. It was arduous, but in lieu of a worthy apprentice, he was forced to clean up this mess. Sidious sighed, _housekeeping_ . . .

 


	2. Other Uses

**Sundari Royal Palace, Mandalore; 20 BBY**

 

" . . . Have mercy . . . please . . . please!"

 

The words cut through the empty palace grounds, fear evident. The cyborg cowered on the ground before the cloaked Sith Lord. Darth Sidious raised his arms, hands hanging down like spiders suspended in the air.

 

"There is no mercy," Sidious soothed in a soft voice a fraction of a second before his hands shot forth, clawed and spitting bolts of violet lightning. His perpetual frown morphed into a manic grin at seeing the Zabrak squirm on the ground, writhing in agony, as it was meant to be.

 

Maul had suffered before, yes, his life was full of it. The pain necessary to train, to excel in his duty. The strain and eventual breaking of his mind on Lotho Minor was a striking hallmark. None of that compared to what he experienced now. Lord Sidious had punished him during his training, but this was more than to merely teach a lesson, this was torture, torture and then death beside his brother. Maul's tattooed skin blistered and burnt, his scream already horse after a few seconds as the electricity crawled its way down his throat. The lightning abated momentarily and Maul knew this was the end, the killing blow foregone.

 

"Do not worry, I'm not going to kill you" Sidious sneered down at his former apprentice, weak-willed and vulnerable after only the beginning of his tender mercies. He let the silence hang in the air for a beat. "I have . . . _other_ uses for you . . . " He trailed off laughing as he ramped up another barrage of lightning, Maul's howls barely discernible over the crackling.

 

Sometime later, Sidious knelt beside his unconscious captive. His extensive session left Maul's body scarred and burned. Little remained of his red body art, blackened and charred to a crisp. Still, this pathetic excuse for an apprentice was alive, which was more than he deserved. Roughly grabbing an arm with the Force, Sidious hauled him to a sitting position. Despite his unconscious state, the pain was sufficient to make Maul cringe from reflex alone.

 

"Death will not be a punishment for you," Sidious slid a bony hand along Maul's cheek. "It will be an escape, but only after you've fulfilled your debt to me."

 

A flick of his wrist sent all three lightsabers flying to his hand. Maul's design was familiar, and that mongrel of a brute had fashioned a saberstaff of his own; clumsy and inelegant as its owner had been. The third was intriguing. It was an ancient design, angular and the blade was quite unique. Turning back to Maul, knowing that he couldn't respond, Sidious smirked. "You must tell me how you came by this relic."

 

His time here was over, after all the chaos caused by the civil war would only distract for so long before these pawns sought the guidance of Maul. As it was, the Republic would need to intervene, and thus fall under the influence of the Chancellor's reach. Sidious briefly considered leaving Maul's sibling behind, he never did bother to remember the fool's name, but that would leave too many questions for the Jedi.

 

So, Sidious strode back into the palace, Maul and his brother stayed where they were for a moment before they were dragged along. Maul's badly burned body twitched as more skin was scrapped off along the way, a muddy train of blood marked the path behind.

 

* * *

 

**Chancellor Office, Coruscant; 20 BBY**

 

"Chancellor, I'm relieved to hear your voice. When I heard of the civil war on Mandalore, I feared the worst."

 

"Oh, you needn't fret over me, my boy." Palpatine smiled wanly. "As it so happens, my trip there was preempted by business back here. A serendipitous turn of events, as it turns out."

 

The Chancellor rested his hand on Anakin's shoulder before making his way to his desk. Anakin frowned slightly. "Still, I wouldn't advise doing something like that again, the galaxy isn't safe. I received word from Obi-Wan a few hours ago that Maul was on Mandalore."

 

The Chancellor was still for a moment, as if frozen in thought. "Master Kenobi was on Mandalore?"

 

Anakin waved this off, not noticing the slight frown gracing the Chancellor's normally genial features. "He went there to save the Duchess."

 

"Ah, ever the noble hero, your master," Palpatine said, steepling his fingers. "Still, this is troubling news. If true, the Republic would have no choice but to act."

 

"Obi-Wan was afraid you'd say that."

 

"I fear I have little choice in the matter, my boy," leaning back, the Chancellor sighed. "Perhaps Captain Tarkin could help alleviate the tension there. I believe the two of you have met, have you not?"

 

* * *

 

**Unknown Location; 20 BBY**

 

When he woke, it was to the stunning realization that he was alive. Sidious had kept his word, though that line of thought led to more ominous events to come. Maul's mind wasn't ready to follow that line of reasoning just yet, he needed to survey his surroundings.

 

The first, and most obvious thing, was the darkness. The room offered no sources of light, a pitch that was complete and all-pervasive. Second, Maul suspected that he was lying on the floor, it was certainly hard enough to be. Rolling over, he hit something large and heavy, but not a wall. Tentatively reaching out, he felt the outline of a body. Was Sidious holding other prisoners? He felt for a light, supplies, anything that might be of use, but came up empty handed. It was when his fingers touched the others' face that his blood froze. There were horns on the head, two broken.

 

Maul let out an involuntary gasp and shoved his brother's corpse away, just as a door slid open. There, bathed in unearthly light, stood Darth Sidious. "Not happy with your roommate?" The Sith's voice sounded concerned, comforting, and completely insincere. "After all, you ran to him so passionately, as if you . . . _cared_ for him."

 

Sidious stepped inside, his golden eyes glowing in the darkness. Maul flinched, and Sidious struck. White-hot tendrils of electricity cocooned him, burning him.

 

"You've lost your way . . . "

 

 _Crack_. Another wave of pain.

 

" . . . Reached for the sun . . . "

 

Maul was thrown bodily into a far wall.

 

" . . . And got burned . . . "

 

Held against the vertical surface, he could see the grin forming beneath Sidious' cowl.

 

"I'm here to help you find your way back."

 

The lightning started again, but this time didn't stop until he sunk into blissful unconsciousness. The first of many sessions, all of which he awoke to the sickeningly reliable corpse of his brother, a physical reminder that he always had a master, and that master was a cruel one.

 

* * *

 

**LiMerge Power Building, Coruscant; 20 BBY {One Month Later}**

 

The Punworcca 116-class Interstellar Sloop was an elegant ship, no other word could better describe it. The Geonosian design gave it  needle point, but the crowning feature was the sail itself, hence the nickname 'Solar Sailor.' It had been in Dooku's possession for longer than many would have believed. Years before becoming a Sith, Dooku had been gifted the ship by Poggle the Lesser, a friend from his time as a Jedi Master. It was somewhat unorthodox for a Jedi to accept such a bequest but Dooku was never was to be described as conventional under any circumstances.

 

The sail itself was not originally part of the ship, but a unique antique purchased in Gree Enclave, a remnant of an ancient species that had mastered supralight propulsion. It, too, was a gift to the Count by a close friend and up-and-coming politician, Senator Palpatine, who himself was an avid antique collector. It was terribly ironic, for the scant few who had known, that Dooku and Palpatine would find themselves on opposite sides of a galactic war, they had been such close friends early on. The sail was compact and efficient, making Dooku's ship one of the most unique in the galaxy, though innocuous enough to be functional. The Sloop was also unique for its ability to travel nearly anywhere in the galaxy, a feature supplied by Dooku's master, Darth Sidious. It could bypass not only Confederacy forces, but also Republic ones if need be, and it was the latter that had been utilized this time.

 

Coruscant was truly one massive city, but what many people forget is nearly every city leaves behind a sprawl of abandoned buildings when the affluent decided to move onwards and upwards (the second being literal in this case). One of the best examples of this was the infamous Works. The factories that had once been instrumental in building the sky scrapers surrounding it had been left behind to the scavengers. No taxi pilot, even the droids, would venture there for anything less than a small fortune, it would have been cheaper to buy a ship and pilot it yourself if you wished so badly to visit.

 

In the very center of the Works, like a dagger plunged into the planet by some vengeful deity, was the LiMerge Power Building. Every few years some ambitious or environmentalist politician would rant and rave about tearing the whole thing down for habitation dwellings, but no one could ever quite figure out just who owned it all. What they would have found out, had anyone had the time, resources, and stamina to dig deep enough, was that the vast majority was controlled by a corporation headquartered on Tythe.

 

LiMerge Power was a manufacturing corporation, but that wasn't important, what they didn't do was important. They decided to cut corners in certain containment domes for their factories on Tythe. Eventually, the structural integrity was reached and collapsed in on itself, spewing tons of volatile chemicals and toxins into the northern hemisphere of Tythe. The reparations to the planet were extensive, punitive, and forced the company to look for outside backing lest they go bankrupt. Hego Damask, of the famed Damask Holdings stepped in to save the day. The Muun paid off the Tythe government and fired the executive staff. Within a period of months, LiMerge Power had shut down all ongoing operations and became a shell for the InterGalactic Banking Clan. Damask used his influence to have LiMerge Power purchase real estate across the galalxy from an accounting facility on Mustafar to massive parcels of land and buildings in the derelict Works. The LiMerge Power Building had gotten its name because of this and it was here that Dooku's Sloop traveled.

 

Flying past columns of soot-filled smoke, miraculously still being pumped from the long abandoned factories, the ship slide quietly into an open hanger door near the apex of the tower. Repulsorlifts buffeted the craft as it landed without a sound. The rear hatch slid vertically and the entrance ramp extended to the polished floor. Dooku knew he was expected, and the shadows held more than just fear of the unknown here.

 

"Welcome home, Lord Tyranus," one particularly dense shade whispered. The cloaked form of Darth Sidious slithered into the light, a relative distinction in the perpetually overcast Works.

 

"You summoned me, my lord." Though Dooku couldn't fathom why. After all, there was a war to orchestrate. Still, he sunk to one knee in deference.

 

"Indeed I did." Sidious' lips twitched into a shadow of a smile, and Dooku felt the pit of his stomach drop, how had he failed this time?

 

Seemingly ignoring the concern radiating from his apprentice, Sidious began walking deeper into his lair. Dooku automatically rose and began to follow.

 

"Things have been different between us, my friend, since that unfortunate business with your assassin." Sidious said offhandedly, as if it was of no great concern. "I would like to correct any misunderstandings."

 

Some primal part of Dooku's mind urged him to run, flee the impending wrath for his failure in dealing with Ventress, the wretch was still at large. Another, more resigned part of him insisted that he could never flee his _Master_. With little effort, the latter won out. "Master?"

 

"You sent General Grievous on a mission to destroy the Nightsister clan," he continued, "but the matriarch escaped. Mother Talzin has caused me some grief these past few months."

 

They were deeper in fortress than Dooku had ever traveled. Dust coated the ceramic flooring, but the walls were immaculately clean. It was all he could do not to squirm at what was sure to be a painful lesson, as so many before had been.

 

"Did I ever tell you that your predecessor once thought he could betray the Rule of Two? That he thought he could circumvent _me_?" Sidious stopped at the threshold of an arched entranceway, larger than any of the others. He beckoned Dooku forward, to the darkened room. "There are consequences for failure, Count."

 

The door slid open and Dooku had a fraction of a seconds' warning before a sharp Force blast by Sidious sent him sailing headlong inside. Sidious strolled in a moment later at a much more leisurely pace. Overhead lights powered up to reveal what could only be called an arena. Steps from all sides spilled onto a sunken platform. Dooku landed unceremoniously at the foot of one end of the rectangular dais. At the other end, chained to a column of durasteel, was a deranged-looking Zabrak.

 

Sidious circled the room, like a vulture, and continued to speak calmly. "The Nightsisters' handiwork," he said, gesturing to the prisoner. "My former apprentice resurrected, a consequence of _your_ failure." Snapping his fingers, the shackles fell lose around Maul. In a look that encompassed them both, Dooku couldn't be sure to whom the next words were directed. "Kill him!"

 

Snarling like a beast, Maul lunged, unlocked chains scrapping the ground behind them. His nails were chipped and sharp, deadly weapons, if they reached Dooku. Scowling at the enraged beast, the Count curled his fingers into a claw and Maul rose in the air, held aloft in a chokehold. Dooku followed his victim a moment later.

 

"Did I _say_ you could do that, _apprentice_?" Sidious spat from somewhere behind him. "I'm not interested in Force prowess. If you want to win, you'll do so the hard way."

 

A pair of durasteel blades clattered between them. They didn't even have sonic generators, just razor-sharp metal, dead blades. _Surely, he can't be serious_ , thought the Count. As one, he and Maul dropped unceremoniously to the ground. The Zabrak summoned one saber to his hand, it's dull slate-grey glint looked rusted.

 

Old he may have been, but Dooku was nothing, if not adaptable. The second blade flew to his hand in time to block a sweep by Maul. The clash sent ripples though his arm, the impact hurting almost as much as a cut would have. With his hand raised, the Count sent his opponent flying away, only to latch onto the column and ricochet back. This time, Dooku angled his block to send the other sword down, and rounded in a high pass that would have taken off the Zabrak's horned head.

 

Maul dropped his blade and grabbed the Count's sword arm, stopping it from completing its deadly arc. Without hesitation, he slammed his forehead against Dooku, stunning the older man. Following though, Maul's fists rained down, leaving burses and fracturing frail bones in the process.

 

Knowing he had to stop the physical contest, in which he had little chance against someone half his age and completely enraged, Dooku grabbed one of Maul's arms, locking it with his own. The stayed that way, at impasse for a full second before the Count sunk his teeth into Maul's exposed arm, metallic blood staining his mouth when he pulled a chunk of flesh away. The Zabrak's howl of pain echoed in the arena, and Dooku threw him off.

 

"Good, good," Sidious cackled from the upper echelons of the chamber.

 

Dooku rose to his feet shakily and grabbed one of the dead blades. Maul was doing the same, only with sticky red blood coursing down his left arm. The two came together with a _clang_ of durasteel, two pairs of hate-filled eyes glaring over the grey instruments. Maul got the upper hand first with an angled kick to the Count's leg, a loud _crack_ and Dooku dropped to one knee. With a sweep of his blade, Maul's leg fell away to reveal cables and circuitry, a surprise to the Count.

 

Sidious circled, watching with glee as his apprentice and former-apprentice were at the other's throat. There wasn't much left of Maul by now, only the animal and base instincts that were so primal that Sidious didn't even fully consider him sentient any longer. It was of no matter, he needed the body, not the failed mind. All the neuro-pathways were there for the procedure the Jedi infants had escaped, and even had a better chance of survival. The first in an army of advocates, loyal to him alone, working in the shadows, extensions of his will. They would be his influence in the galaxy, his hands on the throats of all who ran afoul of the Lord of the Sith. But until then, he was a tool, a rabid tool to show Dooku what happens to failures, to those who _fall behind_.

 

The time to end this lesson was drawing close. Neither were faring well, especially with the Count forbidden from using the only real advantage he had. Walking down to the central dais, Sidious sent them both flying back, cracking ceramic walls in the process, adding insult to injury. He waved a negligent hand and a pair of assassin droids dragged the nearly catatonic Maul out, on to his final use to the Sith.

 

"This was an object lesson, Count," Sidious said, turning back to Dooku. "If you ever deign to train someone again, I'll do far worse. My leniency has bounds."

 

Dooku felt like a decade of life had been stripped away, he had more broken bones and lacerations than he'd taken in nearly his entire life. Only his training and devotion to the dark side let him stay conscious enough to understand his master's words, drilled in though pain.

 

"I trust this impresses upon you the consequences of failure again?" Sidious levitated Dooku in the air, high enough to meet the Sith's hooded eyes. Dooku nodded and tried to speak, but exhaustion was already set in. Anger flared in his master's eyes. "Say it!"

 

"Yes . . . master . . . "

 

Sidious dumped him on the ground, Dooku panting for air, not daring to look up at the cloaked Sith.

 

"I trust you can see yourself out, apprentice." With a flick of his rode, Sidious was gone.

 

* * *

 

 **Author's Note:** Well, the one episode of the Clone Wars that I've been looking forward to was finally here, and I enjoyed this one even more than 'Children of the Jedi.' I was surprised that Sidious didn't kill Maul, but I just had to put my own spin on what happened after. My guess, and how I wrote this, was Maul becoming the first of Sidious' Hands, early prototypes for what we see in the Empire (there are hints he had Hands during the Republic).

 

As far as the story, not too much to say. I always thought Dooku got off easy when Sidious told him to kill Ventress and he failed three times, plus training her so much in the first place. For me, Sidious is pretty sadistic, I actually took the idea of leaving Savage's body in Maul's room from what I thought would have been a cruel (and thus perfect) thing for Maul to do to Obi-Wan with Satine. Macabre, I know, but I think Sidious would actually do that.

 

I was torn as to making this a separate story, but it kind of fell under the umbrella of the original one-shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the one episode of the Clone Wars that I've been looking forward to was finally here, and I enjoyed this one even more than 'Children of the Jedi.' I was surprised that Sidious didn't kill Maul, but I just had to put my own spin on what happened after. My guess, and how I wrote this, was Maul becoming the first of Sidious' Hands, early prototypes for what we see in the Empire (there are hints he had Hands during the Republic).
> 
> As far as the story, not too much to say. I always thought Dooku got off easy when Sidious told him to kill Ventress and he failed three times, plus trainign her so much in the first place. For me, Sidious is pretty sadistic, I actually took the idea of leaving Savage's body in Maul's room from what I thought would have been a cruel (and thus perfect) thing for Maul to do to Obi-Wan with Satine. Macabre, I know, but I think Sidious would actually do that.
> 
> I was torn as to making this a separate story, but it kind of fell under the umbrella of the original one-shot.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually got this idea after watching on the trailers for Clone Wars Season 5 and thought that it would be fitting to have Sidious actually do something in the series. I'm not actually a fan of the show, most of the episodes are boring or unimaginative, but my biggest issue is their constant canon breaks. I understand that it's difficult to write things that fit into canon, but they hardly try. The completely screwed up Ventress' backstory, just to put her on Dathomir. Brining Maul back just pissed me off, since there's no way he could have realistically survived like that. The breaking point for me was when they killed off Even Piell when he actually appears in books that take place when the empire was around. I mean, they could have just looked it up on Wookieepedia and found out not to kill him, but they were too lazy to even do that. Um, now that the rant is over, where was I? Oh yes, I just thought this would be a nice way to bridge the gap between Seasons 4 and 5 leading up to that trailer.


End file.
